80% of Iowans concerned government is causing increase in food prices

Inside the DMARC food pantry, Dec. 3, 2024. (Nikoel Hytrek/Iowa Staring Line)

By Amie Rivers

June 26, 2025

Iowans are worried about food prices. But they’re especially worried that the policies of the Trump administration (like his tariffs on foreign goods) will cause prices to rise further.

That’s not some left-leaning think tank study, by the way; that’s according to the latest Iowa Farm Bureau’s latest Food and Farm Index, conducted by the right-of-center Harris Poll.

What they found: 80% of shoppers are concerned about government regulations that increase food costs, with nearly half, or 47%, very concerned by the proposition. That’s more than double what it was in 2021 (when 21% were “very concerned”) when Biden was president.

And that’s because they’re seeing it happen in real time.

In the last four years, there’s been a 23.6% increase in grocery prices. Trump campaigned on bringing them down. Instead, his tariff costs for Iowa importers increased by $68 million, or 304%, from April 2024 to April 2025, according to a study from the nonprofit Farmers for Free Trade, meaning the price of goods for consumers will go up as well.

The result: More and more Iowans won’t be able to afford food.

What should our elected official in Congress do about it? Email me.

This article was originally published in the Iowa Worker’s Almanac, a free newsletter. Sign up here.

Amie Rivers

Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line's newsletter editor. She writes the weekly Worker’s Almanac edition of Iowa Starting Line, featuring a roundup of the worker news you need to know. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes and getting pet photos in her inbox.

Have a story tip? Reach Amie at [email protected]. For local reporting in Iowa that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Amie's newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: FOOD AND DRINK

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